South Korean History and Its Social, Technological, Economic, Environmental and Political Issues - Term Paper Example

South Korean History and Analysis of Social, Technological, Economic, Environmental and Political Issues Donna Purcell This paperdoes a steep analysis of South Korea through information from the US Department of State, South Korean Government and other sources. It begins with a brief historical overview spanning from BC2333 forward into predictions for 2015. The information includes social background information including the culture, language influences, and religion. Technological advances have brought South Korea into the 21st century through rapid growth. However, this has not come without a price. This is shown through the information on the economy, environmental concerns and political issues. The conclusion ties everything together with hopes for the future of South Korea. Key Words: R.O.K, D.P.R.K. (KORUS FTA), GDP, Chondogyo, Shamanism, South Korean History and Analysis of Social, Technological, Economic, Environmental and Political Issues Introduction and Brief History: An old Korean legend spouts that Korea was created by the god-king Tangun in the year BC 2333. Such a legend reflects the foundation of the Korean people as being self-sufficient, uniform and unvarying. The name Korea evolved from the Koryo dynasty, which succeeded the Silla rule in 935 (South Korea, 1999). The small country has been the target of many invasions by larger neighboring countries in its 2000-year history. A total of 900 invasions are recorded for this period in history. The Mongolians occupied Korea from around 1231 until the 14th century. The Chinese government and armies were constantly tormenting it. The Choson dynasty took over rule in 1392 and ruled until Japan annexed Korea in 1910 (South Korea, 1999). China has influenced Korea the most of any prominent world power, as it was the most acceptable to the Korean people. China became a “big brother” to Korea and thus helped the small country maintain its self-sufficiency and fortress against foreign invasions. It earned the name of the “Hermit Kingdom” in the 19th century (South Korea, 1999). At the end of the 19th century Chinese power became weakened, therefore, Korea was once again open to Western and Japanese invasion. When Japan annexed Korea in 1910, it began a period of imperial rule that lasted 35 years. Some resentments of that period in history still weigh heavy on the memories of some older Koreans. It was a time when Japanese influence became a threat to the language and culture of the Korean people (History of South Korea, 2004). Regardless of the Japanese efforts, today younger Koreans willingly follow Japanese pop culture. When Japan surrendered to the Allies in 1945, it brought the end of World War II; however, it brought further turmoil to Korea. In 1948 the Republic of Korea (R.O.K.) was established with Rhee as the first President. Later that same year the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (D.P.R.K.) was formed under Kim II Sung (History of Korea, 2004). Two years later North Korea invaded South Korea, which prompted the first action under the United Nations Command. Bombings of the North brought devastation and casualties and China to the North’s’ behalf. However, armistice negotiations were started in 1951 and concluded in 1953. It was not until 1987 that South Korea was able to hold its first democratic election (History of South Korea, 2004). Social Atmosphere: The Korean people share a common culture and language history. Today only a small Chinese community of around 20,000 people reside within and influence South Korea. The population has grown to 48.7 million people in a small area the size of Indiana. Populations are very dense in the areas of the Northwest, Southeast, and the plains south of Seoul-Incheon area. Many Koreans have migrated to China, the United States, Japan and other countries that were formerly under Soviet Union rule (US State Department, 2011). The language of the Korean people is influenced by Japanese and Mongolian culture. It does differ from Chinese, as it does not use tones. The earlier well-learned classes spoke Korean, however, read and wrote Chinese. A writing system using phonics (hangul) was invented in the 15th century to provide a writing system for lower classes that could not read classical Chinese. Today the modern Korean uses hangul with Chinese characters almost exclusively. There are approximately 1300 Chinese characters being used within the modern Korean language. What about the use of English? It is taught as a second language in primary and secondary schools as well as Chinese and Japanese (US Department of State, 2011). It is estimated that about half of the South Korean population practice some type of religion. South Korea does have a constitution that protects their freedom of religion. Approximately 29.2 percent of Koreans follow Christianity and almost as many are Buddist. About 2 percent are still greatly influenced by the old teaching of Confucian values and beliefs. There is still a small population that practice Islam, Shamanism (spirit worship), and Chondogyo (heavenly way). Almost half of the South Korean population practices no religion at all (US Department of State, 2011). The Korean War left 3 million dead or wounded and millions of others homeless and alienated from their families. The decades that followed brought political instability. When Major General Park Chung-hee took control through a military coup in the early 1960s, the economy experienced tremendous growth and development. However, after being assassinated in 1979, Lieutenant General Chun Doo-hwan took power. During this time South Korea developed a vocal civil society that protested authoritarian rule. Students and labor union activists protested forcing political concessions in government by 1987. These protests lead to direct presidential elections. A system of further democratic consolidation was established in 2002 by a self-educated human rights lawyer. By 2007 Le Myung-bak, a former business executive and Mayor of Seoul, was elected as President for a five year term (US Department of State, 2011). Technological Advances: South Korea has become one of the fastest growing ICT markets today. This is due mainly to imports of components and parts of which the industry depends. Since many of the parts are produced in South Korea, ICT imports will continue to grow. Internet usage has advanced so much that it is among the top countries in the world for usage. This is due to active consumers who rely on new products and knowledge within an advanced infrastructure. The fixed-line telephone system in Korea has promoted Internet Protocol services as well as offering high speed Internet. The mobile sector is growing rapidly due to these advanced promotions (New Zealand Trade & Enterprise, 2009). More than 75 percent of the population of South Korea use the Internet. Mobile phone usage includes 93.8 percent of all Koreans, and 92.8 percent of all households had broadband Internet in 2008 (New Zealand Trade & Enterprise, 2009). It is noted that most leading multinational equipment manufacturers also operate in Korea. There are approximately 10 companies that account for around 80 percent of the total market. Other multinational companies work to penetrate the Korean market in order to get their newer products tested by the Korean active consumer group (New Zealand Trade & Enterprise, 2009). South Korea claims to have the world’s fastest Internet connections, however, it does not stand up to the government of the United States. South Korea has predicted that by the end of 2012 they intend to have every home in the country connected to the Internet at one gigabit per second. This speed would increase from the now national standard and more than 200 times as fast as the average household in the United States (McDonald, 2011). The government has initiated the gigabit project with 1500 households in five South Korean cities. Each customer pays less than $27 a month or 30,000 won. It seems as though South Korea is leaving the United States in the dust, quoted by President Obama in his State of the Union address last month, “South Korean homes now have greater Internet access than we do.” (McDonald, 2011). This has prompted the president to unveil an 18.7 billion broadband spending program. While Americans are lazily trailing, the South Koreans are at full speed. Their Internet connections are even faster than Hong Kong which is number 2 and Japan who is number 3 (McDonald, 2011). The Economy: The economic growth that has taken place in the past several decades has allowed the country to pull itself out of the rubble of the Korean War. Today South Korea is the United States’ 7th largest trading partner as well as the 13th largest economy in the world. In the early 1960s economic policy reform emphasized exports and development of light industries which brought about financing of industrial expansion. These reforms strengthened the financial institutions and introduced economic planning that was flexible. The 1970s brought expansion in heavy and chemical industries, consumer electronics and automobiles. The 1980s and 1990s continued to grow very rapidly in manufacturing (US Department of State, 2011). In recent years, Korea’s economy has moved away from the centrally planned, and government controlled investment model and more toward a market-oriented one. Some economics think that South Korea’s economic growth has suffered due to a rapidly aging population and structural problems that are obvious. These problems include labor regulations, underdeveloped financial markets, and a lack of understanding regulations. South Korea has attempted two-way trade with North Korea since the late 1980s (US Department of State, 2011). Until recently South Korea was North Korea’s second-largest trading partner after China. Some of the work done in North Korea was funded by South Korea, but was halted in 2008 with the exception of energy aid and heavy fuel oil. Economic ties between North and South were severely hampered by the attack on South Korean warship Cheonan in March 2010. In September of the same year, South Korea suspended trade between North Korea and as of November 2010, there are no signs of a reconciliation (US Department of State, 2011). The Republic of Korea has good diplomatic relations with over 170 countries and a broadband network of trading partners. The US and Korea were allied by the 1953 Mutual Defense Treaty. The United States, Korea, and Japan consult closely on numerous issues especially on North Korean policy (US Department of State, 2011). Environmental Concerns: South Korea spans the southern portion of the Korean Peninsula. The land consists of mostly mountains and it is not fit for cultivation. The lowlands, which are situated in the west and southeast only, make up about 30 percent of the total land. It is bordered by the Yellow Sea to the west and the Sea of Japan to the east. There are about 3,000 small island located on the western and southern coastlines, however they are small and uninhabited (South Korea Government, 2011). In the 1970s heavy industry was a major source of income for South Korea until the financial crisis in 1998. Standards for safety were not enforced leading to several disasters - the Seongsu Bridge collapse in 1994, and the Sampoong Department Store Collapse in 1995. During this time the environment was ignored as the period of rapid industrialization formed pollution, overuse of water resources, and loss of animal habitats. South Korea has become a leading Asian economy but not without paying the price of environmental damage (Sanders, 2010). Recent leadership has proposed a shifting toward a green economy, which includes cleaner energy and improved air quality. They are trying to reduce greenhouse gas emissions but as of now it is totally voluntary. The Four Rivers Restoration Project is planned to improve economic and environmental issues, improve tourism and restore the rivers. There are also plans to construct a series of canals across the peninsula. There are efforts to save Saemangeum, which is a rich muddy tidal flat area, where the Dongjin and Mangyeong rivers empty into the Yellow Sea. It is a rich ecosystem for crabs, shellfish and thousands of animals and plants. It has also been a safe haven for migrating birds (Sanders, 2010). South Korea is considered an innovative nuclear energy producer. The Korean government has taken steps to promote a graduate school focused on nuclear studies. They also predict that by 2020 most of the nation will be getting its energy needs from nuclear power. This will leave only a small portion drawn from hydroelectricity. These projects are scheduled to bring South Korea into a more green future (Sanders, 2010). Political Issues: Considering an outlook of South Korea for 2011 – 2015, covers demographic and geographic information. The increasing tension from North Korea has made it necessary to postpone the transfer of wartime command from the US to South Korea. Relations worsened in 2002 when North Korea began a covert program to enrich uranium for nuclear weapons. Talk began with the United States to deal with this issue. Six-Party Talks began in April 2003 between D.P.R.K, R.O.K., China, Japan, the United States and Russia to end the pursuits of nuclear weapons by North Korea. In the future, resolution of peaceful issues will depend on North Korea and changes in their behavior. “The United States believes that the question of peace and security on the Korean Peninsula is, first and foremost, a matter for the Korean people to decide.” (US Department of State, 2011). The US works to maintain good relations through the Korea-US Free Trade Agreement (KORUS FTA) signed in 2007. This agreement virtually eliminates all barriers of trade between the two countries. “Economists have projected that the FTA will generate billions of dollars in increased trade between the US and the Republic of Korea and boost economic growth and job creation in both countries.”(US Department of State, 2011). The government will also continue policies to aid firm structuring of the economy. These policies will include funding for renewable energy resources as well as talks for free-trade agreements (Coggins, 2011). The Central Bank of Korea has chosen to keep its current interest rate at 2.5 percent and raise rates gradually in the coming years. The economist predict the (Gross Domestic Product) GDP to average around 3.9 percent from 2011 – 2015, and this is mainly due to growth from private consumption and fixed investments. The current GDP of 3.9 is expected to fall by 2015 to 1.3 percent due to narrowing of the surplus of trade. President Lee Myung-bak will remain in office until the next election in late 2012. Therefore, the parliament majority will be retained until the next legislative election (Coggins, 2011). Conclusion: In conclusion, South Korea has come a long way in the last few decades and have proven that they are now a major player in trade, technology and heavy machinery. Unfortunately, it has not evolved without paying the price of modernization. Programming camps have sprung up to help Net-addicted youngsters. One South Korean couple was arrested in 2010 for getting so immersed in an Internet game that their 3 month old daughter starved to death (McDonald, 2011). However, this is an example of an extreme case. It has been obvious that “knowledge-based industries were the way forward.” (McDonald, 2011). South Korea was once poorer than North Korea, but as indicated before they have become the world’s 13th largest economy. South Korea works to maintain the status they have built over a few short decades. North Korea appears to be the only real outside threat to the small country. However, it will be up to the South Korean people to establish a more green and stable future for themselves, their families, and their country. References Bureau of East Asian and Pacific Affairs. (2011). Background Note: South Korea. US Department of State, 1-15. Web. 25 October 2011. http://state.gov.r/pa/ei/bgn/. Coggins, E. (2011). South Korea Political and Economic Outlook 2011 and Beyond. Web. 25 October 2011. http://ecoggins,hubpages,com/. Information and Communications Technology Market in South Korea. (2009). New Zealand Trade & Enterprise. Web. 25 October 2011. http://nzte.govt.nz/. Geography and Climate. (2011). South Korea Government. Web. 25 October, 2011. http://southkoreagovernment.com/. History of South Korea. (2004). Web. 25 October 2011. http://historyofnations.net/asia/southkorea/. McDonald, Mark. (2011). Home Internet May Get Even Faster in South Korea. New York Times Technology. Web. 25 October 2011. http://nytimes.com/. Sanders, Christopher. (2010). Korea: Environmental Problems & Solutions, Business & Technology. Web. 25 October 2011. http://biztechreport.com/. South Korea. (1999). History. Web 25 October 2011. http://worldrover.com/history/. Read More